Sure there are pitfalls, but that is true no matter how you buy a car!

Of course some dealers will give the customer the trade value they want to hear to get them in, then the story will change. But it should not happen any more than with new car quotes without a trade involved:

" Oh, I must have looked at the wrong invoice. "

" Oh, I thought you wanted a 5 speed in your new car, sorry. "

" We just sold the car I quoted, but over here we have one you'll really want. "

Just because some of that goes on, doesn't mean that the Internet doesn't work for most people. More and more people are proving that it does.

We just need more dealers and salespeople who are open to going all (or at least most) of the way, as I described in my first post.

Or else, as I asked before, what are the people with trade-ins supposed to do, if they either don't know how to use the information available to them, or the books are wrong? It is impractical to try and get 3 or 4 dealers to appraise their car in person so that they will know they aren't getting fleeced.

We have an outfit here in town called Auto MDs They don't do any repairs but offer independent evaluations on vehicles people might be looking to purchase.

I don't know if it would ever fly, but what if someone came up with a similar company that could go around offering independent appraisals on used vehicles, at least to get an idea of what to expect at the dealership? I guess the dealerships would have to decide whether to recognize these values, but could always negotiate them one way or another, depending on their current inventory needs, etc. Just a thought, feel free to rip it to shreds, it's early here, haven't had my caffeine yet

Hopefully someone can help me. I am going to buy a car by the end of this month & I know what I want. I've emailed dealers in the area telling them what I want, when I want to buy, when I can give them a deposit, etc. One guy said "I don't have what you want but I'll try & find it & get back to you" - he never did. I've emailed him twice since - no response from him. Should I keep hounding the guy? Other dealerships also don't respond back at all. How do I handle this? I don't have the time to drive from dealer to dealer with 2 small children in tow & deal with it that way. Suggestions?

No, you should not keep hounding the guy. If he wanted to respond, he would have. What is the sound of one hand clapping?

A lot of dealers have websites that give their inventories. You could try checking them.

Going to a dealer in person is very painless if you first determine the exact out-the-door price you are willing to pay. Then go to the dealer and make that offer contingent on you liking the car after a test drive.

If they don't accept your offer within 5-10 minutes, then leave. If they accept, then take the car for a test drive. If you like it, then pay for it and drive it home.

Sure, you might get a better deal if you or your kids are skilled at negotiation, but my way is simple and easy for those of us who don't know how to negotiate.

First off, find a baby sitter for your kids. Go to car lots that will have the vehicle you are looking for. I would suggest not having the dealership locate a car for you, as it can lead to nasty complications.

Have all you pricing information with you. Test drive the vehicle first. Then if you like the car you can make an offer.

Getting an e-mail price from a dealership can be done, though for most people that post here it is a rare occurance. Most dealerships use the "free e-mail pricing" as a gimmick to bring in the foot traffic.

You could always go to a dealership and get the vin number from a car you like. Then e-mail the dealership and ask for their best price. They may take you a little more seriously if they see you've put some effort into the process.

I would agree that it is likely not worth your time to repeatedly contact any dealership or ( supposed ) "Internet Salesperson".

If they do not respond, they are likely not really interested in doing business via the 'net.

My experience has been that the individual dealership sales people reflect the management and \ or ownership priorities and desired sales process. ( Much like most businesses. )

If they do not even respond, they are likely designated as an "Internet Salesperson", but they have not really bought into the concept.

You do not state what make \ model you have decided on &#150; but as stated above, there are online manufacturer resources that can often provide information about inventory, etc.

If no dealer locally will even respond to your inquiry, and you stated in the contact emails exactly what you want and the fact that you are going to buy it, you might also inquire by telephone if their Internet &#147;guy&#148; ( or girl ) will provide the information you are looking for via FAX.

Again, you do not state exactly what you have asked for in your contacts. If you have no vehicle to trade, and what you want is their best price on a specific configuration, I suppose I am not surprised that they do not respond if they do not have exactly the combination of colors & options you specify. As you are probably aware, automobile salespeople are almost always pushed ( hard ) by management to sell what they have &#147;on the lot&#148;.

Most US manufacturers and many Asian brands handle very few &#147;custom Built to Order&#148; vehicles. ( Corvette, for example, is one exception here. ) One reason that the level of inventory at so many dealerships is so large is precisely to try to meet most potential purchasers&#146; needs. So that they can deliver &#147;it&#148; today. And have your money &#150; today. Not in 7 &#150; 10 weeks.

Posting more information here may result in more helpful replies . . .

Hopefully someone can help me. I am going to buy a car by the end of this month & I know what I want. I've emailed dealers in the area telling them what I want, when I want to buy, when I can give them a deposit, etc. One guy said "I don't have what you want but I'll try & find it & get back to you

What make and model are you considering and what region of the country are you located?

Your getting alot of good advice from some folks on here. Is the car you want in high demand and low supply? maybe this is why the dealers are not being so helpful???

Going to the dealership is the BIGGEST waste of time! Ok, you must test drive the vehicle before you negotiate, but negotiating at the dealership is not to the advantage of the consumer. Why? Dealership try to "control" you and wear you down. Is that going to happen from home? Nope! Many dealers try to get consumer from the Internet into the showroom and understandably that space gives the seller an advantage.

Cars are commodities where they are basically the same and can differentiated by the exact option set. Include all info in your request right down to the MSRP and make sure that maker actually offers the options you want. The automaker's site will have those details.

If you get no response, send a reminder or call and quickly move on... expand your area to 100... 200 miles. Get the lowest quote and if you want to take (or call or email) that into your local place and ask them to match it. If they are not close, start driving! 100 miles return trip can be valued at expenses plus cost of your own (and friend's) 3 hours or half a day!? You can sign and even send out all the paperwork before you leave your home just make sure that you are getting a low milage unit (a typical vehicle arrives at the dealership with under 10 miles). The other trick is to agree on taking a unit out of the supply chain and not from the lot!

All this also assumes that you are willing to sell your used vehicle (which you should do any way) or already have a reasonable quote from a place like carmax.

Shipping is also an option that has worked well from me. Think outside the BOX! Unbundle as much of the transaction as you can and then it will become much easier to realize some cost savings.

If life were just as simple as you want to make it. Everyone "knows" what they want. Hardly.

I have three company drivers (executives) who are getting a new car next month. On Monday, they sent me what they "had to have." One wanted a Chrysler Town and Country. The second a 300C with the Hemi, the third wanted a Jeep Cherokee Laredo with a sunroof. Are you sure that is what you want me to order? "YES."

One of my rules is that I buy NO cars until the driver has visited the showroom and taken a test drive.

The three drivers went up to the Chrysler dealership on Tuesday. And on Wednesday. And on Thursday.

Right now, I have three orders for Chrysler Aspens from those drivers.

The Jeep Cherokee was "too rough" a ride. The Town and Country "didn't have enough power." And the Aspen was the "TOTAL PACKAGE."

Most people have NO clue as to what they really want until they have taken a long test drive.

The BUYER has control of the WHOLE purchase process in that the BUYER can walk at ANY TIME in the process. If the dealership lies, leave. If they add in a bunch of unnecessary features, leave. If they don't treat you with respect, leave.

Second contact &#150; to set a date & time for test drives &#150; via email.

Arrived at dealer & test drove 2 &#150; with the different suspension options I was deciding between.

Discounted price = too high at that time.

Me: &#147;Thanks &#150; I will be in touch when you can discount a 2007 by substantially more.&#148;

This was before the first 2007s had arrived at dealers. . .

Various intervening email updates on availability and evolving discounts.

Email 8 days ago had the discount I had targeted. For an &#147;in-stock&#148; unit.

I responded via email asking what the discount would be on an ordered 2007 at this time, as none in stock or inbound met my specifications.

Although initially, the answer was $500 less discount &#150; when I was non-commital, and drove to the dealership, the final discount was actually the same as quoted for an in stock unit.

So &#150; I am waiting for it to be built. Expected delivery in approx 6 weeks from signing the order &#150; 5 weeks from today.

Since I needed to test drive the cars ( I had never driven a current model Corvette, and needed to test the new 6 speed automatic&#146;s paddle shift as well as various individual aspects of how I fit in a much lower car than the last several sedans I&#146;ve driven, etc. &#150; as well as compare the suspensions ) I needed to visit the dealer for that stage.

Since I wanted a highly specific set of options &#150; and specifically did not want the Z51 performance suspension that they order on 95+% of their units for stock &#150; I needed to sign the order and leave a deposit. They would not want one equipped like mine for their inventory.